At the Doctor Who Experience signing, we were also thrilled to get to speak to Oli Smith.

As well as contributing to the ongoing series of New Series Adventure novels, and pennng an exclusive audiobook adventure, The Runaway Train, Smith also wrote the Nintendo Wii/DS games, Return to Earth and Evacuation Earth. In the interview, he describes the main differences between writing your average novel and a video game. You can read the full Q&A below!

Q) Have you always been interested in writing?
A) Yes, I’d always loved creative writing at school, and when I gave up English after my GCSEs I missed it enough to start doing it in my spare time, writing and drawing comics before getting them printed and taking them to comic conventions to sell!

Q) You have been very lucky to have been able to write for both the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors. What would you say are the main differences between them, and what attributes/traits helped you to distinguish the two incarnations on page?
A) I think a lot of writers put elements of themselves into the character of the Doctor, so it’s a case of picking and choosing which aspects of your own character suit the current incarnation. The Tenth Doctor is very witty and cool, so you kind of write him as yourself on a really good day- when you’re excited and full of energy and remember to say all those clever come-backs at the right time! The Eleventh Doctor is far more blustery and often trips over his words. His mannerisms as well are wild and unpredictable and he often forgets to tell his companions his plans! So I tend to write him as myself when I’m grumpy and haven’t got much sleep!

Q) You also wrote the recent Doctor Who Nintendo and iPad games. How did you approach writing an adventure in this new way, and what was the biggest challenge about writing for a game?
A) Usually when you’re writing a book you’re working alone, so I think the biggest difference was the fact that I was working with a team of people, all of whom were in charge of a different aspect of the game. We’d work very closely together, bouncing ideas off each other which was great fun! What’s really different with games is that the gameplay is the most important thing, it has to be fun to play and exciting, and you have to write the story to show that off.

Q) If you could pick any incarnation of the Doctor to feature in one of your stories, which would it be and why? Which existing monster would you put them up against?
A) My favourite Doctor when I was growing up was actually the Seventh, played by Sylvester McCoy. I think his small figure is a great contrast to the grand plans he came up with so I’d love to write a story for him. I’d put him up against Davros as I think he’s the perfect opposite of the Doctor - a mad scientist and a creator whilst the Doctor tends to destroy evil but not really rebuild anything in its place.

Q) What tips would you give to aspiring writers?
A) Keep writing, lots. Do short stories or comics as they’re great for showing to people who might not have the time to read a novel! Go to comic and Doctor Who events as well, they’re fantastic places to learn and I always come back from an event really inspired. They’re also filled with tonnes of like-minded people, so a great place to make friends!

Q) Have you got any Doctor Who projects lined up for the future?
A) I do indeed, but I’m afraid they’re secret…

A big thanks to Oli for answering the questions, and to Penguin Books for the invitation.